


Nobody

by mitskiandwhiskey



Category: Pacific Rim (Movies)
Genre: Ballroom Dancing, Cute boys, Dancing, Dancing Lessons, First Kiss, Fluff, Gay, Inspired by Music, M/M, Music, kiss, laboratory antics, mitski - Freeform, newmann - Freeform, newt is the world's biggest crj fan, really living up to the username, tender moments, that's so sad - alexa play nobody by mitski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 17:39:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17512979
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mitskiandwhiskey/pseuds/mitskiandwhiskey
Summary: "Nobody" by Mitski is a Hermann song. That's all there is to it.





	Nobody

     The first thing most people notice about the K-Science lab isn’t even something in the lab. About halfway down the hall, visitors can start to hear a pounding bass line. Get even closer, and they can make out keys, drum beats, harmonies. As the door slides open, a tidal wave of sound crashes over them. This is Newt, or more specifically, Newt’s music, loud enough to drown out even the loudest drills or Jaeger tests.  
     One afternoon, Marshal Pentecost and Mako made their way through the maze-like Hong Kong base. As they turned a corner, they braced themselves for the worst. It was just as they expected: pumping bass and a clear pre-chorus build-up. They entered the lab, and the two sides could not have been more distinct: Hermann sat, hunched over his desk, bright orange earplugs in as he mumbled to himself and scribbled equations on coffee-stained pieces of looseleaf. Suddenly, a scream called Pentecost and Mako’s attention to the other side.  
     “Aaaa-aaaaa-aah, AAA-AAAAA-AAAAH! I WANNA BREAK THROUGH THE CLOUDS, BREAK THE CEILING! I WANNA DANCE ON THE ROOF, YOU AND ME ALONE!”  
     Newt was belting Carly Rae Jepsen with all the force of a 50-person choir, dancing and spinning as he sliced through Kaiju muscle. As he came to the bridge, he crooned soulfully into his scalpel, oblivious to his boss’ presence.  
     “Doctor Geiszler,” Pentecost muttered.  
     Still nothing.  
     “DOCTOR. GEISZLER.”  
     “AAH! WHAT?” Newt shouted, nearly falling over a table of Kaiju intestine.  
     “We were just coming to complete the weekly K-Science report. If you’re, um, busy, we can come back later.”  
     “Oh, no, no, no! It’s cool, I’m good to go!” Newt said, scrambling to shut off the blasting speaker behind him, “Yeah, okay, I’ve got loads of stuff to talk about! Hermann does too, obviously.” Hermann labored over his papers, still completely tuned out. Newt still hadn’t shut off the music.  
     “Well, maybe we’ll go talk to him first while you get… organized,” Pentecost remarked.  
     Newt stared blankly at his workspace, knowing “organized” was the last word any sane person would use to describe his side of the lab. Still, he bumped the Carly Rae as he desperately tried to clean up one of his many countertops. Hermann had stopped writing, staring blankly into space. His jaw always seemed to be set off at an angle, but his superiors could tell he was grinding his teeth as he failed to focus.  
     “Doctor Gottlieb, anything new?” Mako asked. Hermann laboriously pulled the earplugs from his ears.  
     “Sadly, no,” he replied, a growl in his voice, “because someone can’t seem to keep the noise at a reasonable volume for working in a lab!”  
     “Hey, it’s not my fault he doesn’t like music!” Newt chimed in from across the line.  
     “That is entirely false. I like music! I like a lot of music!” Hermann barked back.  
     “Oh really? You like music? Got any scientific evidence?”  
     “Excuse me?” Hermann growled, reddening in the ears.  
     “Name one piece of music you like that isn’t Brandenburg Concerto Number Five.” Newt challenged. Hermann stammered, struggling to reply. “See?” Newt said, glancing over for Pentecost’s approval.  
     The Marshal and his assistant had already left the lab.

 

     Later, Newt was walking back from his rescheduled meeting with Pentecost when something caught his eye in the dim hallway. A faint sliver of light stretched diagonally across the iron floor, with shadows passing through it every few seconds. It was a rapid flickering, like a bulb that needed replacing, but the irregular shape made that impossible. Maybe it was someone’s flashlight or keyring? Nope, Newt realized very quickly that no one else was in the hall. He gazed at it for a moment more before climbing the steps to the door of his room.  
He pushed open his door, and then he saw it. There, reflected in his mirror, was the source of the odd light. Hermann’s door was ajar. Hermann never left his door ajar. Newt whipped around, practically leaping out into the hallway before remembering he should probably be a little stealthier. Slowly, he crept over to his neighbor’s staircase, and then the flicker of shadow passed across his face again. Except this time, he saw what caused it.  
     A pale, slender arm had thrust outward and back again, deftly cutting through the soft amber light. Suddenly, a leg and an arm appeared together, stretching out slowly, gracefully. Newt couldn’t believe his eyes. He had an idea of what was happening, but needed to know more. As he climbed the stairs, he finally got the full picture: Hermann was dancing along to music, playing faintly out of his phone speaker.  
     And not just any music.  
     “And I know no one will save me, I'm just asking for a kiss. Give me one good movie kiss, and I'll be alright… Nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody, nobody, ooh…”  
     Hermann stood in the center of his room, wearing nothing but a white undershirt and boxers, arms outstretched, lip syncing to Mitski’s “Nobody”. To Newt’s amazement, he knew every single word. Under the warm light of the bare lightbulb, Newt could see every tiny gesture in the flick of Hermann’s wrists, in the curve of his hips. Woolen jackets and loose slacks definitely hid the fact that he could move pretty dexterously, given the right space. A light sheen of sweat covered Hermann’s brow as he sang into a make-believe microphone, keeping perfect time, raising his eyebrows to mimic the key change as he turned…  
     Only to catch Newt bracing the doorway, staring at him, hanging on his every word.  
     “You do like music,” he whispered.  
     “WHAT?” Hermann gasped, immediately pausing the song and rushing to grab his cane.  
     “You like music,” Newt replied, “my music! I’ve definitely played that song before, I love that--”  
     “You were watching me?”  
     “No? I mean, kind of? You left your door open and the light caught my eye a-and I just kinda walked in and--”  
     “I cannot believe you! These rooms are private!” Hermann retorted, trying to make his words cut like knives across Newt’s grinning face. Needless to say, it wasn’t working. “Also, I don’t like this music, it just came up on my recommended list, and I thought I’d give it a try.”  
     “You did not!” Newt said incredulously. “You knew every word to “Nobody” by Mitski! You don’t get to that level of lip sync without at least ten listens! Trust me, I would know.”  
     “Well, I think what she does with melody and key changes is very original and it’s quite reminiscent of--”  
     “Hey. It’s okay to say you like some music. But, “Nobody”? Are you going through something, dude?”  
     Hermann flopped onto the bed, rolling his eyes. “No, no. I’m fine. The lyrics just speak to me sometimes. I especially enjoy the repetition, I guess? She does say the word ‘nobody’ thirty-six times. She likes to work in perfect squares. That I can appreciate.”  
     “You’re a perfect square,” Newt mumbled, smiling at his own joke.  
     “What did you say?”  
     “Listen, if you want somebody to dance with, you could just ask,” Newt answered, beaming at his lab partner.  
     “Well, if you haven’t already noticed, I can dance by myself just fine,” Hermann spit back. He stood up and immediately began to keel over to one side, needing his cane. Luckily, Newt caught him mid-stride.  
     “Oh, can you?” Newt raised an eyebrow, grabbing the phone to hit play on the next song.  
     “Shut up.”  
     Newt shuffled the playlist, and “My Cherie Amour” came up, the sweet tones of Stevie Wonder’s voice blossoming throughout the room. Newt had grabbed Hermann, saving him from falling, but now had absolutely no clue where to go from here. He didn’t really slow dance, to say the least.  
     “Ugh, do I show you how to do everything?” Hermann complained, straightening up in Newton’s arms. In perfect form, Hermann draped his partner’s right hand on his shoulder while he slid his left arm around Newt’s back. Finally, their free hands met in a sort of embrace: palms touching, fingers interlaced, held aloft by the strength of one man working equally with the other. Their chests didn’t touch, their eye contact didn’t break. Hermann stepped gingerly forward with his right foot, leading Newt to follow back with his left. The pair stiffly rotated around the room as one scientist led with utter precision, and the other sloppily tried to catch on.  
     Hermann only loosened up when, halfway through the song, Newt let his head droop onto his partner’s shoulder. Hermann suddenly sensed everything: the warm, steady breath on his chest, the gentle grip of the hand on his shoulder, the sheer symbiosis of their movement. His brain told him he should feel idiotic for swaying around his room with his coworker, but for once it didn’t influence every fiber of his being. He wanted to stay in the warmth. He didn’t have to be scared of it with Newt around. They began to move more casually, letting arms drop and legs become lazier, the space between them closing. Soon, they simply leaned into each other, heads nuzzled together in silence.  
     The next song started.  
     “Oh, you bastard,” Hermann grumbled, realizing that when Newt had taken his phone, he’d also queued “Kiss Me” by Sixpence None The Richer. His partner glanced up at him, green eyes twinkling mischievously.  
     “I knew you liked some of my music,” Newt whispered, cracking a smile before leaning dangerously close to Hermann’s face.  
     “What are you doing, Newton?”  
     “Just following the song’s instructions, Hermann.”  
     The kiss started cautiously, chastely. Neither man wanted to scare the other away, and they both wanted to preserve the tenderness of the moment. Newt led very gently, swollen lips only slightly open, easily finding the contours of Hermann’s cupid’s bow and lingering there just a little too long. He pulled away, face flushed and expectant, glasses a little crooked. Hermann looked at him and knew he wanted, he needed more. As an electric guitar signaled the start of the chorus, he pulled Newt back in.  
     Now that Hermann had taken control of the kiss, things got much rougher, much choppier. He locked lips with Newt, then tugged on his lower lip with his teeth, issuing a soft moan from the shorter scientist. He seemed to melt under Hermann’s touch as he ran his hands down Newt’s back. Clearly, he wanted more, too.  
     Just like in the lab, Hermann calculated his next move. It was a little risky, starting something with his closest coworker, but all logic flew out the window as Newt pulled away, giving Hermann a view straight into his vibrant green eyes. His whole body seemed to be pulsing with the music, and Hermann kept time with every beat.  
     “Shall we… begin a different dance?” he asked coyly.  
     “Oh, dude, absolutely.”

**Author's Note:**

> thx @midwesthorror for giving me this idea


End file.
